Go Fish White Bass

ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Go Fish White Bass

General Information: White bass can be caught in many of Ohio’s larger reservoirs and their tributaries. Some of the best white bass fishing in the state is in Lake Erie tributaries in the spring.

State Record: 4 pounds, 21 inches, Gravel pit

Ira Sizemore, Cincinnati, Ohio

July 1, 1983

Fish Ohio Length: 16 inches

Tips:

Fish tributary streams in the spring from late April through May.
Fish at night under submerged lights during late spring through fall.
On calm days watch for schools of white bass feeding on the surface.

Tackle: A variety of fishing rods and reels can be used to catch white bass.

Regulations: see the current fishing digest for special regulations on selected waters.

Where to go:

Central	Northwest	Northeast	Southwest	Southeast
Alum Creek Reservoir Deer Creek Reservoir Delaware Reservoir Hoover Reservoir	Findlay #2 Reservoir Pleasant Hill Reservoir Bresler Reservoir Clear Fork Reservoir Sandusky River Maumee River Portage River	Atwood Reservoir Clendening Reservoir Lake Milton Mosquito Reservoir Pymatuning Lake Tappan Reservoir	Caesar Creek Reservoir C.J. Brown Reservoir Paint Creek Reservoir Rocky Fork Reservoir Ohio River	Ohio River

Seasonal Fishing Approaches:

Season (Months)	Spring (March - April)	Pre-summer (May)	Summer (June - mid-September)	Fall (mid-September - November)	Winter (December - February)
Peak Activity	Fair	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Presentation	Fish with small jigs tipped with plastic tails or minnows. Small flashy spoons or spinners are also effective. Some anglers fish minnows under bobbers as well.	Fishing in tributaries during a white bass spawning run is undoubtedly the best time to catch them. The will hit just about anything flashy including jigs tipped with plastic tails, spoons, spinners, and live minnows.	Night fishing can be effective this time of the year (see fall Presentation). Fish on calm days and watch for schools of white bass feeding on shad near the surface. Sea Gulls flying over head may point to white bass feeding near the surface. Use small flashy spoons or spinners. You may also try trolling with small, medium running, crank baits.	Try night fishing with floating or submerged lights. The lights attract bait fish and the white bass will feed on the bait fish. Use live minnows fished below the schooling bait fish. In upground reservoirs, fish near the pump house as water is pumped into the reservoir. Cast into the pump plum.	Vertical jigging with small spoons or minnows.
Location	Fish around the mouths of tributary steams. Try locating fish in deep water associated with structure such as humps, drop offs, points or submerged road beds.	White bass can be caught in tributary streams as they migrate up the streams to spawn. This may be the best time of the year to catch white bass.	Most fish are back in the reservoirs at this time of the year. They are generally found in the open water feeding on schools of shad.	White bass are in the open waters of the reservoirs feeding on schools of shad or minnows.	White bass are generally in the open water areas. They may be near shore when pumping into upground reservoirs.

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